No fans at Indianapolis 500
Roger Penske reversed course and decided not to allow fans at the Indianapolis 500 this month, calling it “the toughest business decision I’ve ever made.”
The 104th running of “The Greatest Spectacle in Racing” will be the first without spectators, who showed up at Indianapolis Motor Speedway every year, even in the Great Depression.
A group of Pac-12 football players with the “#WeAreUnited” movement met with officials from Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office to discuss concerns about their schools’ COVID-19 protocols and protecting their college eligibility. In other news related to the pandemic: Wide receivers Travis Benjamin of San Francisco and Allen Hurns of Miami opted out of the season . ... Quarterbacks
Matthew Stafford of Detroit and Gardner Minshew of Jacksonville were cleared from the COVID-IR list. The Lions said Stafford received a false positive . ... The Grand Prix of Figure Skating series is being downsized to localized events.
The Galaxy returned to training following a COVID-19 scare in which eight members of the team’s USL Championship affiliate tested positive. — Kevin Baxter
Six-time Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy finalized a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers . ... The trade that sent defensive tackle P.J. Hall from Las Vegas to Minnesota was negated after Hall failed a physical.
Texas Christian football coach Gary Patterson apologized for repeating a racial slur while telling a player to stop using it.
USC announced former Sparks coach Julie Rousseau will chair its Black Lives Matter Action Team. Rousseau, a USC adjunct professor, will work alongside an advisory committee of athletes, coaches and staff members to identify needed reforms to promote equality. — Ryan Kartje
Kathie Klages, a former Michigan State gymnastics coach, was sentenced to 90 days in jail for lying to police during an investigation into former university sports doctor Larry Nassar . ... A bill that would give Congress the power to dissolve the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee’s board of directors and would more than double the federation’s funding for the U.S. Center for SafeSport passed the Senate unanimously.
Louisiana State gymnastics coach D-D Breaux will retire after 43 seasons.